Means for connecting draft-timbers and center sills of cars.



PATBNTED JULY 25, 1 905.- W., H. EMERIGK & P.- ALQUIST. MEANS FOR CONNECTING DRAFT TIMBERS AND CENTER SILLS OF CARS.

APPLICATION TILED APB.6.1905.

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No. 795,593. I PATENTED JULY 25, 1905.

' w. H. EMERICK & P; ALQUIST.

MEANS FOR CONNECTING DRAFT TIMBERS AND GBNIBR SILLS 0F CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6,1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HUNTER EMERICK AND PETER ALQUIST, OF MEMPHIS,

- TENNESSEE.

MEANS FOR CONNECTING DRAFT-TIMBERS AND CENTER SILLS OF CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1905.

Application filed April 6, 1905. Serial No. 254,163.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WVILLIAM HUNTER EM- ERICK and PETER AL UIs'r, citizens of the United States, residing in Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for Connecting Draft-Timbers and Center Sills of Cars, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in means for connecting the draft-timbers and center sills of cars. Heretofore the drafttimbers have been connected to the draft-sills by connecting bolts extending vertically through the draft-timbers and sills and bolting the same together, and great difficulty,

expense, and loss of time have heretofore been experienced when the draft-timbers are broken and require removal and replacement, as it is necessary to unload the car in order to remove the connecting-bolts and remove a broken draft-timber and replace it with a new one.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple, strong, efficient,and durable means for removably connecting the draft-timbers to the center sills of a car, so that the draft-timbers will not be liable to breakage and so that in case a draft-timber is broken it may be removed from a loaded car very easily and quickly and replaced by a new one without unloading the car.

Our invention consists in the means we employ to practically accomplish this object or result-that is to say, it consists, primarily, in the combination, with the center sill of a car, of a removable draft-timber and means for removably connecting the draft-timber to the sill.

It further consists, in connection with the sill and draft-timber, of connecting-plates furnished with dovetails.

It further consists in providing the connecting-plates with a removable dovetail key.

It further consists, in connection with'the sill, draft-timber, and connecting-plates, of a cap-plate and one or more clamp-plates furnished with wedging dovetails to clamp the sills together.

It further consists. in connection with the dovetail connecting-plates, sill, and draft-timber, of a cap-plate and bottom plate and one or more clamp or draw plates furnished with wedging dovetails to clamp the sills-together.

It further consists in the novel construction of parts and devices and .in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown or described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of a device embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in horizontal section. Figs. 3, A, and 5* are vertical sections on lines 3 3, 4 4, and 5 5, respectively, of Fig. 1. detail side elevation of the connection shown in Fig. 3 with the clamp or draw plate removed. Fig. 7 is adetail cross-section through the connecting-plates, showing one form of the same. Fig. 8 is a detail cross-section through the connecting-plates,showing the same furnished with a removable dovetail key; and Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the dovetail key. Fig. 10 is a detail partial section on line 10 10 of Fig. 4. Fig. 11 is a detail partial section on line 11 11 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, A A represent the draft or center sills of a railway-car, and A A the removable drafttimbers; A the front or cross sill; A the buffer-block; B, the coupler; B, the draw-bar; B the draw-bar strap or yoke connected to the draw-bar by rivets b,- B ,'the springs of the draft-rigging; B, the followers, and B the side plates or stop-castings of the draft-rigging, which are attached to the draft-timbers A in the usual manner.

To enable the draft-timbers A to be removed from the sills A quickly and conveniently and without unloading the car and at the same time provide a very strong, efficient, and durable connection between the drafttimbers A and sills A, we provide a plurality of connecting-plates D F, D F, and D F each furnished with interengaging dovetails. The several pairs of connecting-plates I) F, D F, and D F differ somewhat in construction, according to their location in respect to the side plates or stop-castings of the draftrigging, or, in other words, as to-whether they fit along or at the rear or front of the draftrigging. The connecting-plate construction which we prefer to employ at the rear of the draft-rigging comprises, in addition to the connecting-plates D F, having side flanges d d, f f, a cap-plate G, having side flanges g g, and which fits on top of the sill A, a bottom plate H, having side flanges it h, and which fits underneath the draft-timber A, and a pair of clamp-plates K, which are furnished with inclined or wedging dovetails 7c, engaging correspondingly-inclined or wedging dovetails 9 it on the cap-plate G and bottom plate H and preferably on the sides g it of the capplate G and bottom plate H. By this construction the clamp or draw plates K, by reason of the inclined dovetails, operate to clamp the sill A and draft-timber A together in a very firm and strong manner. The rear connecting-plates D F are furnished with transversely-extending dovetails (Z and f 2 on their horizontal meeting faces, which interengage. The rear connecting-plates DT may, if desired, be furnished with a transversely-extending dovetail key M, as illustrated in Fig. 9, in lieu of the construction shown in Fig. 6, the dovetails on both plates D and F being in such case of a female form, necessary to receive such dovetail key M. The clamp-plates K are furnished with slots 76 through which extend a horizontal connectingbolt k furnished with a nut 70* and serving to clamp plates K K together after they are driven home, the slots permitting the necessary longitudinal movement of the clamp or draw plates K for tightening or clamping together the bottom plate and cap-plate and the sill and draft-timber. Vertical bolts N, having heads a, fitting in countersinks g in the capplates Gr, and nuts n, fitting in countersinks d in the sill-connecting plates D, securely fix the connecting-plate D and cap-plate G to the sill and clamp the same together and prevent any longitudinal movement of the plates D F on the sill. Similar bolts N, having heads fitting in corresponding recesses in the drafttimber-connecting plate F, and nuts'fitting in countersinks 71/ in the bottom plate H connect the plates F and H and fix them in position longitudinally on the draft-timber.

The connecting-plates D F, which connect the draft-timbers at points along the draftrigging, are furnished with transversely-extending female dovetails (Z f which receive a transversely-movable dovetail key M, thus firmly and removably securing the connecting-plates D F together. The clamp-plates K, employed in connection with the connect ing-plates D F, are of similar construction to the connectingplates before described, excepting that they are not so wide and do not project over the sides of the draft-timber. These connecting-plates K K, however, overlap the end faces of the transversely-movable key M and prevent its removal until the clamp-plates K are removed.

The connecting-plates D F at the front of the draft-rigging omit the side flanges d d and f f and are furnished with dovetail grooves or female dovetails and are connected byaremovabletransversely-extendingdoubledovetail key M, this form of connecting-plates adapting the upper one D if desired, to be secured to the front'or cross sill of the car and the lower one to be secured to the drafttimbers, although the side plates or stop-castings of the draft-rigging may extend to the front end of the draft-timbers, as is the case in some constructions of draft-rigging.

We claim 1. The combination with the center sill of a car, of a removable draft-timber, a draft-rigging side plate or stop-casting secured to said draft-timber, connecting-plates D F at the rear of said side plate or stop-casting having side flanges d f, and With transversely-extending dovetails (Z a cap-plate G having side flanges g, furnished with inclined or wedging dovetails g, a bottom plate H having sides 72 furnished with inclined or wedging dovetails fi, clamp-plates K K furnished with dovetails engaging said dovetails on the sides of said connecting-plates D F and with inclined or wedging dovetails engaging said inclined or wedging dovetails on the cap and bottom plates G H, intermediate connectingplates D F located between the ends of the side plate or stop-casting, furnished with transversely-extending dovetails, a doubledovetail key connecting the same, a cap-plate having inclined or wedging dovetails on its sides, clamp-plates having inclined or Wedging dovetails engaging the cap-plate, and a longitudinal dovetail on said connecting-plate D and a front pair of connecting-plates D F 2 furnished with transversely extending dovetails and with a removable double-dovetail key, whereby said draft-timber is removably connected to said sill and firmly and rigidly secured thereto, substantially as specified.

2. In a car, the combination with the center sills, of removable draft-timbers and connecting-plates furnished with interengaging dovetails for removably connecting the draft-timbers to the sills, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a center sill, of a draft-timber, dovetail connecting-plates and a removable dovetail key, substantially 1 as specified.

4. The combination with a center sill, of a draft-timber, dovetail connecting-plates and a removable double dovetail key, substan tially as specified.

5. The combination with a center sill, of a draft-timber, a cap-plate and a bottom plate having inclined or wedging dovetails andlongitudinally-movable clamp or draw plates furnished with inclined or wedging dovetails, substantially as specified.

6. The combination with a center sill, of a removable draft-timber, a cap-plate having side flanges furnished with inclined or wedging dovetails, a bottom plate having side flanges furnished with inclined or wedging dovetails and a clamp-plate having inclined or wedging dovetails engaging those on the sides of the cap-plate and bottom plate, substantially as specified.

7. The combination with a center sill, of a draft-timber, and connecting-plates furnished with transverselyextending interengaging dovetails on their meeting faces, substantially as specified.

8. The combination with the sill and draft timber, of a pair of connecting-plates secured to the sill and draft-timber respectively, and provided with dovetails and a connecting device furnished with dovetails engaging the dovetails on the connecting-plates, substantially as specified.

9. The combination with the sill and drafttimber, of a pair of dovetails furnished with transversely-extending dovetail grooves and E diouble-dovetail key, substantially as speci- 10., The combination with the sill and draft timber, of a pair of connecting-plates furnished with transversely-extending dovetails and a longitudinally-extending dovetail, a capplate having a longitudinallyextending inclined dovetail and a clamp or draw plate, substantially as specified.

11. The combination with the sill and drafttimber, of a pair of connecting-plates furnished with transversely-extending dovetails and a longitudinally-extending dovetail, a cap-plate having a longitudinally-extending inclined dovetail, a clamp or draw plate and a pair of clamp or draw plates furnished with dovetails engaging those on the cap-plate and on one of the connecting-plates, substantially as specified.

12. The combination with the sill and drafttimber, of connecting-plates having sides furnished with dovetails, a cap and bottom plate each having sides furnished with inclined dovetails and clamp-plates furnished with corresponding longitudinally extending dovetails, substantially as specified.

13. The combination with the sill and drafttimber, of connecting-plates having sides furnished with dovetails, a cap and bottom plate each having sides furnished with inclined dovetails and clamp plates furnished with corresponding longitudinallyextending dovetails, a bolt extending through the clampplates, said clamp-plates having longitudinal sill? to receive said bolt, substantially as speciie 1 1. The combination with the sill and drafttimber, of connecting-plates having sides furnished with longitudinal dovetails, a bottom plate having sides furnished with a longitudinal dovetail and clamp-plates furnished with longitudinally-extending dovetails, substantially as specified.

15. The combination with a connectingplate secured to the draft-timber, of a connecting-plate secured to the sill, and a dovetail connecting means between said connecting-plates, substantially as specified.

16. The combination with a cap-plate secured to a sill, of a bottom plate secured to a draft-timber and a connecting means for the two plates, substantially as specified.

17 The combination with a cap-plate secured to a sill, and having an inclined or wedging shoulder, of a bottom plate secured to a draft-timber and having an inclined or wedging shoulder and a clamp or draw plate having inclinedor wedging shoulders engaging the inclined or wedging shoulders on the cap and bottom plates, substantially as specified.

18. The combination with a connectingplate secured to a sill, of a connecting-plate secured to a draft-timber and a removable dovetail connecting means for said plates,substantially as specified.

19. The combination with a connectingplate secured to a sill, of a connecting-plate secured to a draft-timber, said plates being furnished with dovetails, and a'double dovetail connecting-key, substantially as specified.

20. The combination with a connectingplate secured to a sill and furnished with a pinrality of'dovetails on its lower face, of a connecting-plate secured to the draft-timber and furnished with a plurality of interengaging dovetails on its upper face, substantially as specified.

21. The combination with a connectingplate having sides embracing a sill, of a capplate having sides embracing a sill and a clamp-plate having inclines engaging inclines on said connecting-plate and cap-plate, substantially as specified.

22. The combination with a connectingplate having sides embracing a draft-timber, a bottom plate having sides embracing a drafttimber, and a clamp or draw plate having inclines engaging corresponding inclines on said connecting-plate and bottom plate to clamp the same about the draft-timber, substantially as specified. I

23. The combination with a connectingplate having sides embracing a draft-timber, aEbottom plate having sides embracing a drafttimber, and a clamp or draw plate having inclines engaging corresponding inclines on said connecting-plate and bottom plate to clamp the same about the draft-timber, anda bolt extending horizontally through said clamp or draw plates, substantially as specified.

WILLIAM HUNTER EMERICK. PETER ALQUIST.

Witnesses:

BERT L. DAvls, N. A. ALQUIS. 

